[forumadmin]

Before reading these terms of service and guidelines, please be aware of one thing. Here at the Nintendojo Forums, the moderators reserve the right to warn, edit, and lock topics as needed with or without notification. In general we will strive to make sure that you know what changes are made to the guidelines, and will warn before banning. If you do not agree with any of these guidelines or future changes to them, you are free to leave at any time.

We want this forum to be a fun and exciting place for fans of Nintendo and Nintendojo to congregate and share opinions, ideas, and information. As an addition to our site, we see the forums as a place where you can interact with other Nintendojo readers and staff. But where a large group of people gather there is sure to be dissension. In a perfect world there would be no need to post up forum guidelines because the prevailing idea would be to treat each other decently and with respect. But we do not live in a perfect world, and thanks to the Internet we are constantly put in contact with people we disagree with.

That said, below are a list of guidelines for using the forums. The moderators allow for some leeway, but in general, if a moderator asks you to stop doing something publicly or privately you need to stop or you will face consequences, which will be spelled out below.

Again, the moderators of Nintendojo reserve the right to amend these guidelines at any time. If a moderator says it, it is law.

1. Treat other members with respect -- Our forum is open to anyone over the age of 13; let us stress anyone. That means that there are going to be people out there who agree with everything you say and who are paragons of wisdom themselves. There are also going to be some real weirdos out there... or worse: Sony Fanboys. Please treat everyone with respect, even if you disagree with them. If you are incapable of treating other people with wildly different ideas from you with a measure of respect, then this is not the forum for you. There probably is a forum out there somewhere and the moderators wish you luck with your search for such a place.
2. Personal attacks will not be tolerated -- If you read guideline #1 then this should be obvious. This is, possibly, the quickest way for you to get banned. Don't play around with it.
3. Try to avoid profanity -- The moderators not prudes. We've heard pretty much every swear word in the books and probably some that aren't in the books. We know that by the age of 13 most people know how to swear. But we don't want to read the script of a Quentin Tarintino every time we read an impassioned argument.We understand that sometimes you will let fly a swear after (or before) saying something you are really passionate about. However, if you cannot type five words without dropping the f-bomb, this forum is not the place for you. Just because you don't mind profanity doesn't mean that everyone else doesn't mind it either.
4. Please attempt to write correct English -- We're not talking about following every little grammar rule that you've been taught because, frankly, we don't remember everything we were taught in school (thank goodness for copy editors). But we do want users to employ such basic things as the following: punctuation, capitalization, sentences, paragraphs, subjects, and verbs. We don't want to discriminate against those who don't speak English as a first language. This rule is for those people who know better but cannot be bothered to form coherent sentences. It it almost impossible for most of us to read a sentence like this: £337 1$ 73h m0w$7 4w3$0m3$7 7h1n9 3V4R!!1! Also, tlkng lik ths iz gunna b :-( on, kthnx. That doesn't mean you can't drop an LOL when someone says something really funny, but please try to avoid elite speak and txt talk for the sake of those who don't understand it.
5. Don't link to illegal or harmful files -- Emulators exist, but it is Nintendojo's policy that they are illegal and infringe on the copyrights of the companies that created the games and the systems, especially when companies are still making money off of these properties through Virtual Console or other downloadable service. Posting links to emulators or ROM files will cause a thread to be deleted, no exceptions. We welcome intelligent discussion on the topics of emulation and its legality. We even will allow discussions on which emulators are the best ones. The second that you link to an illegal file, however, the thread will be deleted.
6. No pornography -- We all know that porn exists, but this forum is for intelligent discussion not ogling the naked bodies of women (or men). Please do not link to pornographic images, do not post pornographic images, do not use pornography as part of your avatar/profile. People can find porn on the internet without your help.
7. Don't start "I'm leaving!" threads -- If you are a contributing member of the forums who has something come up in your life that means you have to leave, by all means we want to know why you're suddenly gone. However, starting a thread just to "get back" at a moderator who you are mad at is unacceptable. If you feel like you've been treated unfairly, don't start a thread just to tell us what big jerks we are. I mean, we're such big jerks that we won't even care.
8. Don't start "I'm New!" threads -- We have one of these located here. We want to meet you, but adding more threads just pollutes the forums, which leads to...
9. Avoid duplicate threads -- Before posting anything new, check to make sure that someone hasn't already started a thread on the subject. If you start a new thread on an old topic you severely limit the discussion available. It's easier to find others to talk to things about if you are replying to them rather than trying to find new people. The forum has a search feature; use it.
10. Use descriptive thread titles -- This helps with guideline #9. If your thread title adequately describes what you are going to talk about it is easier for others with similar interests to find it. For example, a thread titled "The best thing ever!" could be about anything from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time to Necrophiliac Unicorns. "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the best thing ever!" lets people know what your talking about and helps keep the thread on topic.
11. Avoid registering vulgar or childish usernames -- Naming yourself after a part of the human anatomy or an act of coitus is not funny, it's really kind of stupid. If you really feel like you need such a username, feel free to go register it on another forum.
12. Advertising is not allowed -- If you find a product or service that you really enjoy and think others will enjoy, then feel free to share it. However, registering just so you can advertise something will lead to the thread being deleted and the username banned. We deal with enough shameless advertisement elsewhere. We don't need it here.
13. Avoid posting NSFW threads -- We want to be able to browse this site from our jobs without fear of stumbling across something that could get us fired. Just because that Made in Ore microgame is hilarious with it crudely drawn topless women, doesn't mean that you need to share it here. If you are going to link to anything that could be considered NSFW, please make sure you clearly label it, and do not post images into the site. If it is vulgar or explicit it needs to be linked to, not put directly on the forum post. We reserve the right to make judgement calls on moderating, locking, or deleting any thread that deals with NSFW material.
14. Anything posted on the Nintendojo forums becomes property of Nintendojo and may be used without express permission by the staff of Nintendojo for features or news stories.
15. Moderators are the final authority -- If a moderator sees you doing something and tells you to stop, don't complain about it or argue. We want this to be a friendly environment for everyone involved. Fighting with a moderator is a one-way ticket to a banning.

These are just a few guidelines that we want users to follow when posting on the Nintendojo forums. Please live by the spirit of these guidelines, not by the letter of them. If a moderator catches you doing something because the guidelines don't say you can't, it is the same as breaking the guideline you were skirting around in the first place.